Call center attrition is a significant problem that can be difficult to manage. In many cases, it’s the leading cause of high turnover in call centers and can hurt your customer service levels.
Call centers rely on a large number of employees to operate efficiently. It’s common for them to experience high turnover rates, primarily due to the fast-paced nature of the job and the stressful environment.
Cresta reports that call centers focused on customer care and support post the highest attrition rates at 87.6%, with an overall average of 83.7% in 2022 for all types. It’s an ongoing issue that companies have to face.
What is call center attrition?
Call center attrition is the rate at which employees leave a call center. It’s a metric often used to measure employee satisfaction and retention and is an essential indicator of how well a company performs with its customer service initiatives.Â
Attrition is normal for any business, but too much turnover can be harmful. If you have a high call center attrition rate, you may lose valuable employees who could help your business succeed.
Calculating call center attrition
To calculate call center attrition, take the number of employees who left a call center divided by the average number of employees during a specific period.
The equation reads as follows:
Top reasons for high call center attrition
Listed below are the common reasons employees give for leaving their roles, contributing to high call center attrition.
Employee burnout
Employee burnout is a state of emotional exhaustion caused by chronic workplace stress. It’s often the result after an extended period of repetitive work, as in a call center.
Call center agents must sit for long periods, sometimes in uncomfortable environments (like cubicles). They also deal with angry customers, leading to stress and anxiety.
The most common causes of burnout leading to call center attrition are:
- Work overload – employees may be asked to do more than they can handle in a reasonable time frame.
- Lack of control – employees may feel their opinions aren’t valued or have no input into decisions that affect them.
- Unsatisfactory work relationships – negative relationships with colleagues or supervisors can leave people feeling isolated and undervalued.
No clear career growth
Even call center employees want to know where they’re heading and what skills will help them get there. Call center attrition occurs when they don’t have a clear picture of opportunities, so they start looking elsewhere.
This is a common call center attrition cause because the agent role is seen as an entry-level position with little room for advancement.
Low monetary compensation
Compensation is one of the most critical factors driving engagement and retention. Call center attrition happens when agents look for better pay elsewhere.
Call center agents are usually paid hourly, so they must be compensated fairly for their time and effort. Call centers are essential in many large businesses, so their pay should reflect it.
Poor onboarding and training process
An excellent first impression matters. When people feel their needs aren’t being met during the initial weeks, they won’t be engaged in their work, which leads to high call center attrition.
Call center attrition also happens because new hires aren’t properly trained to handle the work expected of them. This can make them feel inadequate or unfulfilled, and they’ll seek other opportunities.
Unsupportive workplace
All employees want to be appreciated for their hard work and dedication. But appreciation goes a long way for call center workers, who spend most of their time on the phone with customers.
A call center can be a stressful place to work. The work is often repetitive and can be emotionally draining. It’s easy for call center attrition to occur when agents don’t feel supported.
Practices to reduce call center attrition
Here are some tips to lower your call center attrition rates:
Establish open communication channels
To reduce call center attrition, establish open communication channels with your employees.
Here are some tips:
- Ensure employees know their performance is being monitored and they have the tools needed to do their work well.
- Encourage workers to ask questions about anything unclear or confusing, so that you can identify problems early on.
- Give regular feedback, including praise, so that employees feel valued by management.
Enhance training programs
New agents learn about the company’s culture and policies during training. You can reduce call center attrition by enhancing and making these sessions comprehensive.
Make sure to always support new hires with additional guidance and feedback. Managers should also use post-call reports for insight into agent performance.
The training should be an ongoing process. This includes adapting agents’ roles to updates on policies and procedures relevant to their position. Regular refreshers keep agents up-to-date and reduce call center attrition.
Provide a long-term career path
Call center attrition tends to be high because people are hired with the expectation they’ll only stay for a short time.
However, call center managers can take steps to build loyalty and retention by helping employees see their future with the company as something more.
This means providing them with growth and development, whether it’s through training, mentoring, or simply giving them a voice. Call center attrition is lowered when agents can see multiple paths for themselves in your organization.
Equip them with updated tools and technology
Updating company technology is another way to lessen call center attrition rates. New tools make the job easier for employees and let them make decisions faster.
New technology in a call center usually includes everything from headsets and computers to software programs like CRM systems and chatbots.
If workers feel overworked because they don’t have the right technology to use, they’re likely to leave, raising your call center attrition rate.
Hold exit interviews
To decrease call center attrition, you must first understand why your employees leave. To fix a problem, you need to know what it is.
Holding exit interviews is one step toward reducing call center attrition. The information collected from these interviews can help managers understand the reasons for employee dissatisfaction.
Ideally, this motivates them to improve their internal call center operations.
You’re never going to get your call center attrition rate knocked down to zero, but awareness of it is the first step toward maximizing your agents and succeeding in your business.
